Celebrities with massive social media followings can earn six- or even seven-figure sums from sharing a single sponsored post on their feeds. And when it comes to the superstar athletes, believe it or not pro soccer players make the most money on Instagram.
LuxuryLaunches revealed the dizzying fees that the top 10 “sports influencers” bank per post. And aside from four-time NBA MVP LeBron James and cricket sensation Virat Kohli, all are elite footballers. Unsurprisingly, there appears to be a correlation between Instagram and overall earnings, as Lionel Messi, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior and Cristiano Ronaldo have taken the top three spots here, just as they did on Forbes’ annual list of the World’s 100 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2019. See which other celebrity jocks are using the ‘Gram to bring in serious cash below:
10. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool FC
39.5 million Instagram followers, $180,000 per post
9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – AC Milan
43.3 million Instagram followers, $200,000 per post
8. Gareth Bale – Real Madrid CF
43.3 million Instagram followers, $200,000 per post
7. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira – FC Barcelona (Retired)
51.5 million Instagram followers, $238,000 per post
6. Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore
64.2 million Instagram followers, $296,000 per post
5. LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
66.7 million Instagram followers, $307,000 per post
4. David Beckham – Paris Saint-Germain FC (Retired)
63.2 million Instagram followers, $339,000 per post
3. Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona
115.6 million Instagram followers, $695,000 per post
2. Neymar da Silva Santos Junior – Paris Saint-German FC
185 million Instagram followers, $704,000 per post
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus FC
224.8 million Instagram followers, $889,000 per post
